The Story of Lily West
by Grace'sImagination
Summary: Lily West is the story of a young woman who must choose between her soulmate and the love of her life without forgetting to listen to the wishes of society, her parents and her heart. This is a story of love, loss and longing.The story of Lily West.


**Chapter One**

The village of Meadowfield Falls was alive with activity, despite the earliness of the time; the reason for the increased level of activity is that it is market day and everyone wanted to purchase necessities. Stalls laden with fruit and meat, loaves of fresh bread and cattle occupied the village square; people bustled around purchasing goods and trading gossip. A young woman with long curly brown hair tied into a tight bun walked down the street causing all eyes to follow her as usual, her bright green eyes were kind as she gazed over the stalls; the elegant way in which she walked indicated authority and position, but her attitude was not proud or arrogant but humble and friendly, she wore a navy dress that complimented her slender figure enormously, this woman's name is Lily West. The man with whom she walked was less likeable, he was tall and handsome for sure but something about his presence told the villagers that he was not a man to be crossed; the suit he wore was obviously expensive and the way he looked at everything indicated his boredom.

"Good morning Bessie," said Lily as she stopped at a fruit stall, "What excellent strawberries you have this year."

"Good morning Miss West, thank you very much," replied the woman whose name is Bessie, blushing slightly.

"I'll take one hundred grams of those fantastic strawberries please," Lily answered giving the elderly woman a broad smile.

"Thank you Miss," Bessie stuttered as she measured out the required amount and put them into a paper bag.

The couple moved on after Lily had paid, the people of the village shrunk away from the man as though afraid of him; the reason for their fear is that he is the son of the landlord that owns most of the village, although Lily's father is richer her manner does not show it; her father had taught her humility and respect unlike Arthur Thorn's. The sun shone onto the village making the rain drops of last night sparkle like diamonds, Lily breathed in the country air deeply knowing that her time there was limited.

"Are you happy about your father's decision to move?" asked Arthur softly, his brown eyes a warm colour as he looked down at her.

"It is not my place to say, my father's decision is for the best," Lily replied, turning her green eyes from his, this was the answer she had repeated many times over the previous weeks whenever she was quizzed on her opinion of their move to London.

"But surely you have feelings about it?" Arthur pressed on.

"I do not know, I do not know what London is really like as I have only visited once or twice," Lily answered sighing.

As Lily returned to the house that her father owned, a large building was an exquisite garden kept by the gardener and in the finer weather Mrs West also, she felt a lump rise in her throat at the thought of leaving it. Deep down Lily knew that the move to London was something that she should be grateful about as it would expose her to a higher class of society but she could not help feeling a sense of loss, she had grown up in Meadowfield Falls, made friends, helped people and loved the old house that she would always call home.

"Lily, Bessie has just begun packing your clothes so could you go and guide her please," Mrs West called, literally as soon as one of her feet had crossed the threshold.

"Of course Mother," replied Lily, smiling as she ascended the grand staircase to the first floor. The boxes covered the floor; some with dresses others with shoes and all of her other accessories, Bessie was bustling around putting clothes into different boxes according to type; she seemed to be in control so Lily sat on the bed and watched.

"Bessie, are you happy about going to London?" Lily asked her voice full of the insecurity of a young woman of only eighteen years.

"Yes Miss," Bessie replied turning to look at her.

"Good," Lily answered her voice trailing off.

"Miss are you alright?" Bessie asked sounding concerned.

"Yes Bessie, just slightly sad about leaving such a wonderful place," Lily whispered and she felt tears prickle at her eyelids.

"Oh Miss," Bessie gasped before hurrying over to Lily and hugging her. "Don't worry Miss, I am sure you will enjoy living in London."

"Thank you Bessie, I'm just so sad to say goodbye to everything I know," Lily muttered, hugging Bessie and fighting back the tears that threatened to escape the prison of her eyelids.

After another hour or so all of the beautiful clothes that Lily owned were packed in boxes and ready to go, that evening the boxes would depart for the new house in London; Lily and her parents would follow the next morning by train. Sad as she was at leaving her childhood life, Lily was both wise and sensible enough to appreciate the opportunity she was being given, she would have the chance to experience London society and possibly meet a suitor. Still, it was a difficult move to make not merely because she was going to a new place but in a way she was moving away from being a child and moving into being an adult.

Following dinner Lily left the house for one final walk in the countryside, taking the familiar path down from the house to the little wooden gate that creaked when opened Lily headed down toward the village; the lights of most buildings were on and the sound of laughter floated on the night air, the fountain in the centre of the village square gurgled merrily. Lily headed toward it and sat down on the smooth grey stone that lined it, silently she listened to the village; trying to memorise everything about it.

"Lily?" came a voice in the darkness.

"Yes?" Lily replied looking around.

"It's Arthur," the voice continued.

"Oh, hello Arthur," Lily answered a small smile gracing her pretty face, normally she would not address someone by their first name but her and Arthur had grown up together and it felt natural.

"May I join you?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course, I was just going to walk down to the river," she whispered standing up to look at him.

"That's strange, I was just about to head that way," he replied offering his arm.

They walked in comfortable silence, savouring each other's company and each reliving memories they had shared. The lights of the village soon became a hazy yellow light behind them as they walked toward the river; neither was worried about the total darkness as they had walked the path so many times before. Soon the gentle rush of the water could be heard, the sound warmed Lily's heart and she knew that she would never forget the sound; Arthur paused and looked down at her.

"I'm going to miss you, Lily," he whispered.

"I'm going to miss you too, you will come and visit?" she asked, despite her attempt to keep the plea from her voice she knew he had heard it.

"Of course," he replied smiling at her.

"Good," she murmured, then she leaned forward and hugged him; his arms instinctively mirrored hers, with her head resting against his chest the sound of his heartbeat matched the sound of the river. They stood, completely content for some time; neither speaking nor thinking, both were lost in their own memories.

Saying goodbye to Arthur had been one of the hardest things Lily had ever done, the tears that she had been fighting all day had finally escaped and she had cried against his chest; he had understood perfectly, the separation of childhood friends is never easy, it's not meant to be. Lily had walked up the path to her house, Arthur had walked back to the village; they knew that they would stay in touch but it would never be the same, they would not be as close again but that is the way of the world.

In the darkness as she lay in bed his handsome face swam before her, the soft brown eyes that she knew so well, the short brown hair that felt like velvet and the tall figure who was her oldest and dearest friend. Lily fell asleep with the image of her best friend in her mind, tear tracks fresh on her face and the knowledge that she was leaving ached in her heart.

"Lily, let's go," whispered her father, his arm guided her into the carriage that would take them to the train station.

"Yes father," murmured Lily, gracefully she climbed in to join her mother; with a final look at her home Lily knew that now she was ready.

"I do hope the train journey is swift," said Mrs West smiling.

"I'm sure it will be my dear," replied Mr West good naturedly. Lily was silent as the carriage set off down the lane, she did not look back only forward; she knew in her heart that she would like London, after all she had always dreamed of going there.

The countryside flashed past in a blur of green as the train hurtled toward London, Lily sat watching while her parents talked of plans and engagements; Lily only caught a few words here and there as she was busy thinking. A smile formed on her face when she remembered the first time that she and Arthur had spoken, then she began to laugh at the memory of him trying to jump across the river using a few rocks and he had fallen in.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Mr West who was also smiling.

"Oh nothing, just an old memory of Arthur falling in the river," she explained happily.

"That does sound funny," agreed Mrs West, "We have an engagement with the Bells tomorrow evening."

"How do we have an engagement already?" asked Lily surprised.

"They heard we were coming up, as they are old friends of ours from years ago and invited us to dinner," explained Mrs West.

"Oh, well that should be lovely," Lily answered trying to be positive despite the fact that she was dreadfully nervous about how the London society would treat her.

The carriage that collected them from the station trundled along the cobble stone streets before stopping in front of a large grey stone building with a beautiful set of steps leading up to a lovely black door; everything looked perfect and all of Lily's worries faded in the blink of an eye.

"It's nice isn't it," whispered Mr West, Lily simply nodded and smiled, "Let's go in then."

The three of them ascended the steps and Mr West unlocked the door to reveal a large hall with a grand marble staircase in the centre, there were several doors on each side of the hall that led off in different directions; without a word Lily headed up the stairs and unconsciously her feet led her to a door that once she had opened showed her a large circular room with a big bed against one wall and an elegant wardrobe with a matching cupboard. All of her clothes were already put away and the fire was lit in the small grate beside a lovely blue armchair that had a delicate wooden table beside it with a vase of roses on it.

"Do you like it?" asked Mrs West nervously.

"It's perfect Mother," Lily replied hugging her mother.

"Good, now get some sleep as we have a lot to do tomorrow," Mrs West murmured kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight Mother," Lily answered softly.

The sound of horses hooves clip clopping on the cobble stones greeted Lily the next morning, the excitement of exploring her new city caused her to leap out of bed and hurriedly call for Claudia to dress her. The smell of cooking bread wafted up the staircase to her, the sound of the front door opening and closing signalled that Father had gone out to work; once dressed in her white and red dress Lily descended the staircase and was directed to the dining room by the sound of cutlery on plates.

"Good morning Mother, did you sleep well?" asked Lily cheerfully as she sat down opposite her.

"Good morning, I did thank you and you?" answered her Mother smiling.

"Very well thank you, what are we doing today?"

"We are going around to the Bells this evening as you know but this morning we are going to explore London," her Mother whispered, an excitement sparkling in her green eyes.

An hour later the two women left the house and climbed into the awaiting carriage, with a jolt it headed toward the centre of town. The houses they passed were mostly smaller than their new one, but Lily did not turn her nose up; she watched with interest as people came and went through side streets and noticed that many people stopped to talk in the street.

"Here you are Mam, Miss," the driver said opening the carriage door and offering his hand to help them down.

"Thank you," they replied in turn, there were plenty of people bustling about and the two of them headed into one of the nearest clothes stores; it was less crowed than the street and had some beautiful gowns hanging up.

"May I help you?" a woman, who Lily assumed to be the shop keeper, asked.

"I'm looking for an evening dress," Lily replied politely.

"Right this way Miss," the lady answered leading the way toward the back of the shop, here many dresses hung that all appeared to be for evening wear.

"What colour do you think would suit me?" asked Lily as she looked around.

"I think this one will look lovely," replied the lady as she indicated a deep purple dress, Lily gasped at the beauty of it.

"It's marvellous!" Lily gushed, "Mother come and look at this."

"It is very nice, we'll take it," Mrs West replied as she approached and looked at it.

The two women walked down the street toward the office that Mr West worked in, they entered and asked where his office was. A young woman showed them the way before a shout echoed around the building.

"What have I told you about smoking in the store Perkins!"

Lily and her mother stopped on the first floor where the shouting seemed to be coming from, they looked around and spotted a tall, dark haired man shouting at a quivering man who was leaning against the wall a trickle of blood streaming from his nose.

"I didn't do it Sir," the man who she assumed was Perkins stammered.

"I saw you," the taller man hissed before reaching into Perkins' pocket and pulling a pipe out, "Still warm."

"Please Sir," Perkins begged, the other man hit him in the head causing him to collapse onto the floor.

"Oh please stop!" cried Lily, her face white with shock, the man spun around and glared at her.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded but before she could answer he had turned back to the quivering man, "Get out and don't come back."

"But Sir-" Perkins began as he attempted to stand.

"Now," the man hissed, as the trembling man left the other turned around to face the woman who had shouted but there was no-one there; Lily had been rushed into her father's office by her mother before she did something unladylike.

"My Dear, what is the matter?" asked Mr West.

"We just witnessed a man beating a man who was below him for smoking in the store, it was quite dreadful," Mrs West replied, glancing cautiously at Lily out of the corner of her eye.

"What did the man look like?" inquired Mr West.

"He was tall with short dark hair and blue eyes," Lily answered.

"That would be Mr Darwin then, he's the Master of this firm," Mr West replied simply.

Lily descended the staircase that night in her new purple dress, it showed her slender figure perfectly and her curly hair was lousily up in a bun; she looked stunning. Mr West was in a smart suit with a cream and red waistcoat and red neck tie that matched the red in Mrs West's dress, the three of them looking remarkable. Once more they climbed into the carriage that moved toward the Bells house; Lily was nervous but confident and was eager to make acquaintances.

"Do come in," said a servant that greeted them at the door of the posh house, it was about the same size and splendour as their own.

"Thank you," they replied as they stepped into the hall.

"Right his way," the servant said taking their coats before ushering them into the drawing room which already had six people in it.

"Ah the West's are here at last!" cried a man that leapt to his feet and rushed over to shake hands with Mr West and kissed Mrs West and Lily's hands, "How lovely to see you again Richard."

"Thank you Charles, what a charming house you have," replied Mr West smiling broadly at his old friend.

"Margret how lovely to see you," said Mrs Bell as she smiled at the three of them.

"It is so kind of you to invite us for dinner Esther," answered Mrs West returning her smile.

"Now let me introduce you to everyone," Mr Bell cried, "This is my daughter Dorothy and her husband Albert," Mr Bell indicated a small blond woman who was standing beside a small man who had black hair, "And this is my son James and his wife Janet," Mr Bell continued, "Last but not least this is Mrs Elizabeth Darwin an old friend of ours and her son Mr Henry Darwin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr West replied nodding at them and they smiled back, Lily for a moment did not look at anyone until she realised that the man Mr Darwin kept glancing at her; as their eyes met a weight dropped in her stomach, he was the man who she had seen beating the employee earlier that day. At dinner Lily kept her eyes down as Mr Darwin sat opposite her, she had no intention of speaking or looking at him; the Bells children and their partners where most agreeable people and Lily liked them immensely, Dorothy had invited her to attend a ball the following evening with them and she had gladly accepted. Mrs West was speaking to Mrs Darwin and they appeared to get on well, Lily was glad that her mother had made a friend but she only wished that it had not been that dreadful man's mother.

"You must not mind Darwin," Dorothy whispered to her as they sat drinking tea in the drawing room following dinner, "He is a nice enough man but he does have a dreadful temper, just this morning I heard that he lost his temper with an employee at his office and beat him."

"I know, I saw him do it," Lily whispered back quietly.

"I'm seen him lose his temper before, it is a shame as he is truly very handsome," Dorothy muttered, Lily glanced over at him; true he was handsome with his dark brown hair and startling blue eyes but a handsome face does not make up for an ugly personality.

"Well, I have only been in London a day and I already have a friend," Lily replied smiling at Dorothy, at that moment deciding that Mr Darwin was not worth a second thought.

"So you will come to the ball tomorrow?" asked Dorothy hopefully.

"Of course, I shouldn't miss it for the world," Lily answered earnestly.

"I am so glad," Dorothy whispered happily.

At midnight the three West's got up to leave, followed by the Darwin's; they said their goodnights in the hall before climbing into separate carriages.

"The Bells are most charming people," commented Lily on the way home.

"Yes they are, I'm not so sure about the Darwin's though," agreed Mrs West.

"Well not everyone can be as agreeable," Mr West muttered agreeably.

Lily's dreams where littered with dancing people and handsome princes, she hoped that the ball that night would be good fun and that someone would ask her to dance. Again she awoke to the sound of horses hooves, as she descended the stairs to breakfast Bessie bustled over with a letter; hastily Lily opened it and sat down at the table to read it.

_Dearest Lily,_

_How strange Meadowfield Falls is without you, the fountain does not sound as merry and the river as cheerful. It is not only the land that misses you; I do so long to see you even though it has only been a few days, is it too early to plan a visit? _

_The weather here is beginning to turn colder and the trees are already beginning to shed their leaves, winter is fast approaching and this year there will be no snowball fights I'm sure. The house is now being rented by a Mr Edward Reed and he seems agreeable enough although his wife is not so tolerable, she seems to think herself above village ways but I must not complain._

_My mother seems to be missing Mrs West almost as intensely as I am missing you; she has not stopped baking in the time since you left which is obviously a sign that she is lonely. My brother Phillip arrives home from France where he was on business on the 7__th__ of October, so that is something to look forward too. Other than that there is really not much news, I just had to say hello and that I hope your journey was quick and comfortable; also that the house and company are of your taste. _

_Kindest Regards,_

_Arthur Thorn._

Lily re-read the letter, and then hurried to the office to write a reply to him; she got out a piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of black ink before sitting down to write back to her best friend in all of the world.

_Dearest Arthur,_

_I was so happy to receive your letter; I have been missing you terribly, it would be a joy to receive you at your earliest convenience. I am glad to hear that Phillip is finally returning, give him my best, he has been gone a long time; almost as long as Harvey now. _

_London is so wonderful, the society is varied and interesting and we were lucky enough to have dinner with the Bells the day after we arrived; they are most agreeable but the Darwin's are not so. I am attending a ball with them this evening and I cannot wait, I only wish that you would be there. The house is perfect and extremely well furnished; the journey here was smooth and not too long, we arrived by late evening._

_Winter is fast approaching here too though there are few trees to show it, the only way we know is that we have to wrap up before going outside in case we catch a chill. My new friend Dorothy Bell has persuaded me to go ice skating when the weather turns even colder. _

_Sorry my reply is not longer,_

_Kindest Regards,_

_Lily West._

The day went slowly by, the women finished unpacking while Mr West was at work; at about five o'clock Lily retired to her room to get ready for the ball, she put on one of her finest dresses which was a cream and purple one, Bessie did her hair similar to the previous day and at half past six the doorbell rang.

"Do come in," Bessie said ushering the guest's in. "Miss will be down in a minute."

"Thank you," Dorothy replied smiling; a moment later Lily glided down the stairs to see Albert and Dorothy standing in the hall.

"You look lovely," Albert commented politely.

"Thank you, as do you both," Lily replied as Bessie opened the door for them.

The carriage came to a gentle halt outside a large hall where tens of other carriages were parked, together the three of them walked up the steps and into the warm glow of the lights. People stood in groups talking, laughing and some were dancing; the band played song after song and gradually more people moved onto the dance floor.

Albert and Dorothy stopped to talk to a couple of Mr Bells friends; Lily was introduced to them and to their son Emmett, then she was introduced to the Hawks, the Locks, the Kennedys and the Rooks. After shaking hands with all of them Lily stood alone while Dorothy and Albert continued to talk, a young man who she recognized as Emmett Lake approached her.

"May I have the next dance Miss West?" he asked politely.

"You may," she replied smiling, just then the music stopped and he offered her his hand which she accepted. They danced the next two songs and then another young gentleman called Robert asked for the next dance; as she walked onto the floor on Robert's arm she noticed Mr Darwin standing next to his mother who was speaking to Dorothy, he looked thoroughly bored.

"Thank you," said Robert trying to get his breath back.

"It was a pleasure," she replied, "Please excuse me." Lily turned and hurried over to Dorothy and the others, she noticed Mr Darwin look up at her but she did not look at him.

"You dance very well Miss West," commented Albert smiling.

"Thank you very much," Lily replied still trying to catch her breath.

"Would you like a drink my dear?" Albert addressed his wife.

"Yes please, get Miss West one too my love," Dorothy replied smiling.

"Of course, anyone else?" he asked, when no-one replied he hurried off. Dorothy then began speaking to Mrs Darwin leaving Lily to talk to Mr Darwin, which was not on her agenda for the evening.

"Are you enjoying the ball?" Lily asked trying to start a conversation with him.

"I am moderately entertained," Darwin answered looking at her.

"Maybe if you danced you would enjoy it more," Lily suggested, hoping that she did not sound presumption.

"I do not dance," Darwin replied simply.

"Oh, well," she struggled to find something to say, thankfully Albert arrived back with drinks just at the right moment.

The rest of the evening passed by, Lily danced another ten or so dances while Mr Darwin did not dance one; even Mrs Darwin had dared to brave the floor alongside Albert. _He is an arrogant man, probably helped by the fact that his mother thinks he is fantastic and he runs a firm; but I shan't stoop to his level, I will just look forward to Arthur's visit._ This was the last thought that passed through Lily West's sleepy mind that night before falling asleep quickly as she was utterly exhausted, her dreams where filled with happy dancing but once or twice the haughty features of Mr Darwin would creep in; from that evening on Lily decided that although she would be civil to him she would not waste time thinking about him.


End file.
